Frederick William's Accomplishments

Frederick William I was the second ruler of the kingdom of Prussia, succeeding his father Frederick I. He lived from born on August 14, 1688 and he died May 31, 1740. He is known from breaking away from his father’s practices and reforming the domestic and foreign policies of Prussia for the better. Frederick William was one of the most effective rulers ever for Russia through his remodeling of the Prussian army and his economic reforms, although his extreme personality made it difficult for others to identify with him.

Frederick William improved the Prussian army to new heights never seen under the rule of his father. In order to increase the size of the military, Frederick William accomplished two main goals. The first was to improve the

Even before his ascension to the throne, Frederick was financially aware. In 1711, Frederick William pointed out to the Prime Minister of Prussia that his father, Frederick I, was mismanaging funds. With this in mind, it makes sense that when Frederick William succeeded his father in February 1713, he changed the economics of the nobility and monarchy immediately. Unlike Frederick I who had a tendency to be very lavish, Frederick William was very austere. When he became king, two-thirds of the king’s servants were almost immediately fired. The rest of the servants had their salaries decreased by sometimes over 75 percent. This cutback increased the budget of the nobility to use towards other causes. For example, many ministers and workers in the field of finances were combined into one large department of economics. With the ministers, they needed to follow rules precisely. For instance, they would be docked sixth months pay for missing one meeting, and the next meeting they missed would fire them. Many believed that he enjoyed firing his employees. A specific example of this may be that when he fired the master of ceremonies (a very close friend of his father), the letter that was sent to Frederick William from him, it was burned. All of the wealth accumulated was needed and used, sometimes to further the state and other

Ever since he was born, Frederick William has been known to be one of the more unstable rulers in history. When he was very little, he was known to be very fussy. He once swallowed a shoe buckle, and a doctor had to help them get it out. Another time he threatened to jump out a window because he did not get what he wanted. He never took interest in most of the subjects that children his age liked. Instead, he always studied war tactics and economics, which proved to be effective once he became ruler. It did not help Frederick William’s case that his parents (particularly his mother due to his father running the country) would constantly spoil the little prince. When he was only nine years old, he began to run his own estate, and when he was thirteen he was allowed to attend private council meetings. When he finally took over the country he ran it well, but there was always constant scrutiny laid upon him for how he acted towards others directly. He was very unpredictable, sometimes acting very abruptly. Some have speculated that he was depressed or suffered from other mental diseases, but it is not sure whether or not it is true. It is highly possible that he had dyslexia, as it is known that he was barely able to write in German. With his questionable behavior, the fact that he constantly had many advisors probably contributed to his successes. He always